Silicone polyether copolymers are well known in the art and their use as lubricants for organic fibers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,824 to Haluska. The silicone polyether copolymers described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,824 may be prepared by interacting the dialkenyl ethers of glycols or polyglycols with a copolymeric siloxane in which some of the silicon atoms contain silicon bonded hydrogen atoms in the presence of a platinum catalyst.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,458 to Haluska discloses organosiloxane ethers which contain a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic portion in the molecule. These organosiloxane ethers may also be prepared by reacting an unsaturated ether with an organosiloxane containing an SiH group in the presence of platinum catalysts.
The organosiloxane ether copolymers described above have certain disadvantages. For example, these compositions contain residual amounts of silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms which slowly release hydrogen during storage. Moreover, in certain applications, it is often desirable to combine basic or protic solvents with these organosiloxane ethers; however, these protic solvents or basic materials often react with the organosiloxane ethers containing residual Si-H groups to cause foaming, pressure build-up in containers and in certain instances gellation of the copolymers. Furthermore, polyethers having terminal unsaturation which are required to form the organosiloxane-polyether copolymers are not commercially available.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,901 to Plueddemann describes hydroxyether organosilicon compounds which are prepared by reacting allyl glycidyl ether or butadiene monoepoxide with polymeric siloxanes containing Si-H groups in the presence of platinum catalysts. The resultant product is then reacted with an alcohol, such as glycols, to form the hydroxyether organosilicon compounds. These compositions also have certain disadvantages since they contain residual amounts of silicon-bonded hydrogen.
In contrast to the compositions described in the above patents, the polyether units are linked to a silicon atom through an amido or ammonium ion. The resultant silicone polyether copolymers are water soluble and are capable of being crosslinked to form continuous films. Furthermore, the process of this invention provides a unique method for converting low viscosity fluids to high viscosity materials.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide novel silicone polyether copolymers. Another object of this invention is to provide silicone polyether copolymers which are essentially free of silicon bonded hydrogen. A further object of this invention is to provide a process for preparing novel silicone polyether copolymers. A still further object of this invention is to provide a process for preparing novel silicone polyether copolymers from materials which are readily available.